Chris Billam-Smith admits loss is ‘hard to take’ but Shane McGuigan tells him to ‘hold his head up’

Chris Billam-Smith has spoken of his disappointment at losing his WBO cruiserweight title to Gilberto Ramirez, but praised his opponent for his class.

Ramirez won a good if one-sided bout on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on points, adding Billam-Smith’s belt to his own WBA title, and moved closer to a unification fight with IBF champion Jai Opetaia.

“A huge congratulations to a great champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez,” Billam-Smith wrote on social media.

“A fantastic fighter and great man in and outside of the ring. It was an honour to share the ring with him in a unification fight #RiyadhSeason #latinonight.

“I’m hugely disappointed I couldn’t get the job done. I lost to the better man and that’s tough to take.

“I gave it everything I had on the night, both my pride and my body are extremely sore today.

“Thank you everybody for your support. We’ve had quite the journey together these last couple of years. I am now looking forward spending quality time with my family and letting my body recover.”

Billam-Smith was extraordinarily brave in the face of heavy punishment, and he made Ramirez work for victory.

The Bournemouth star’s trainer, Shane McGuigan, revealed the physical damage of the fight and said on his socials: “I’m extremely proud of Chris Billam-Smith who came to the gym in 2015 as a sparring partner. 7 & a half years later he boxed as a headliner in the biggest stage in boxing (at this present time) Riyadh Season as a world champion in a unification fight.

“Chris threw 810 punches in the fight, boxed with a broken hand, damaged rib and a horrific cut early in the fight. He could not have given more to the fight and yes if given the opportunity to box Zurdo again he could do better but on fight night with the cut so early he boxed to his best, given the circumstances. I am extremely proud of him and his championship mindset. A clear winner in life and cannot reflect back on his career at any stage saying he could have tried harder. Hold your head up mate.”